Last week, anti-abortion activists gathered
on the Mall in Washington, DC for their annual Right to Life March, held each
year on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which made
abortion legal in the United States.

Abortion is not the hot-topic political
issue in Russia that it is in the U.S., but nevertheless our story this week on
the subject generated serious discussion among our
readers. For many years, abortion was the primary form of birth control in
Russia and the practice remains fairly common.

Although rates have declined in
recent years, these numbers are attributed to an increase in living standards
and an ongoing campaign by the state to increase the birthrate rather than any
concerns about morality.

The comments both in the story and online centered
around the need to increase sex education and awareness of other options in
Russia while making sure that abortion remained safe and legal.

This text was a real example of RBTH
fulfilling its mission to show readers stories from Russia not often discussed
in the international press.

Readers happily weighed in both on our site and on Facebook
on the question of what Tolstoy would have thought of the Internet. The
consensus: the great writer would have been a fan of the Internet, in the words
of one reader, as a means of connection and communication.

And what about the security situation in
Sochi – the top story in the international press this week about Russia?
Unfortunately, RBTH’s coverage of this topic was not strong. We featured one
news text and a recap of an interview Sergei Kislyak, Russia’s Ambassador to the U.S.,
gave to CNN on the subject.
Both stories reinforced the Russian position that the Games will be safe.

While this is the official position, it is
also what our team believes: Our experience as residents of Russia and the
reports from our friends and colleagues in Sochi indicates that security at the
Games will be extremely tight and that every measure will be taken to prevent
any attacks on the Olympics.